Package-receiver lock



RAWSSSZ Dec. 25 i923.

A. W. CHAPMANJ PACKAGE RECEIVER LOCK.

Filed April 12v,

mgl

btowm Patented Dec, 25, i923.

rtgll tassa PATENT c ALFRED W. CHAPMAN, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO. ASSIGNOR T0 THE DONLEY BROTHER-S COMPANY, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION.

PACKAGE-RECEEVER LOCK.

Application filed April 12, 1922. Serial No. 552,009.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, ALFRED WV. CHAPMAN, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful improvements in Package-Receiver Locks, of which the following is a speciiication. v

rlhis invention relates to locking means for deposit and collection receptacles, de livery boxes, or the like, to which access is had' through oppositely placed doors.

The object oiy my present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and reliable locking mechanism designed to be operated by the doors of an in-wall package receiving` box or compartment, whereby the outside door, though normally locked automatically upon its closing, is unlocked and set in that condition by an incipient or partial opening` of the inside door; Thus' the act of opening the inner door, or merely setting it ajar, releases the lock of the outer door, which permits the latter to be opened once from outside thewall to deposit articles in the box; but the initial opening of the outer door sets its lock so that, after being closed, it cannot be opened again until the inner door is opened.

Further objects of the invention are to produce automatic locking means for delivery boxesoperative solely by the action of gravity in connection with the movement of the doors, and which have no tendency to .shift their positions .relatively to each other after being set.

Minor objects willbecome apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of' my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. l is a sectional elevation oit a delivery box'equipped with my lock and set in a wall, showing its outer door closed and locked.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the positions of the parts when the outside door is closed but unlocked.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed plan view of the locking arrangement, the adjacent parts of the box and doors being sectioned on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fie'. 4t is a detailed elevation of the locking arrangement detached from' the box, 'and viewed from the side opposite that shown in Figs. l and 2.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the releasing bar and the latch-plate housing it.

The reference numeral l indicates a rectangular delivery box, or a compartment of a partitioned package receiver, set and secured in an aperture formed through an outer wall 2 of a house; said box having large openings in its outer and inner sides respectively adapted tothe passage therethrough of packages, bottles, or other articles, which may thus be safely and quickly delivered to the house. The outside opening is normally closed by a door 3 hinged, as at 4L and et, to the box l, and having an out side handle or knob 5. The inside opening is also provided with a tight closing door Ghinged, as at 7 and 7, to the box l, and having an exterior handle and readily releasable fastener, such as the Well known spring-bolt catch 8. rThe hinges t and 7 of the doors are placed preferably, as shown, adjacent to the same side wall of the box l, although one or both doors can be hinged at the botltpm, and the doors open outward from the An elongated latch-plate and releasing barv housing 9 is bracketed out from the inner face of the side wall of the box l adjacent to the free edges ofthe doors 3 and 6, extends transversely of the box and terminates near the doors respectively, being a flat metal plate vertically disposed, and provided with ilanged legs l0 through which it is secured by rivets 1l, or otherwise, to the side wall of the box. The end portions of the plate 9 project beyond the legs 10 and form ears with upper edges aligned and substantially level, save Jfor beveled terminations, as shown at l2 and 13. rlhe ear l2 of the latch-plate is opposed to the outside door 3, and has upon its upper edge about midway oi the horizontal part thereof an upstanding ratch-shaped tooth 14, which is adapted to trip and' engage a latch on said door to lock the same.

Although the separate legs l() of the housing 9 are preferred, the middle part of the housingv may be channeled and flanged it. desired; and, when the box l is of unusual length. from door to door to accommodate a thick wall, the housing 9 may be divided vertically into two parts separated in horizontal alignment the proper distance from each other, since the middle portion of the housing performs no indispensable function.

Bracket plates and 16, each having a pair of vertically disposed ears projecting at right angles thereto, are rigidly secured by rivets, or otherwise, to the interior faces of the doors 3 and 6 respectively. Rectangular steel plates having ears c ut and bent pup therefrom as shown are preferred, but upright ribs integral with, or otherwise made fast to the doors, may be substituted therefor. A latch 17 hinged on a pin 18 between the ears ofthe plate 1,5, `and a latch 1,9 is hinged on a pin 2 0Vbetween the ears o f the plate 16; said latches being adapted to swing freely and ldrop by gravity in vertical planes at right angles to the doors respectively. The latch, bracket-plate and hingepin arrangement for the door 3 may lie an exact duplicate of that for the door 6. rlhe latch 17 or 19 is preferably channelshaped, its heel ,21 being adapted to stopV against its bracketfplate 15 or 16 and prevent its falling below an approximately horizontal position, anda rectangular aperture 2 2 is formed in its bottom web near its free swinging end.

Slotted'apertures 23 and 211 are formed respectivel through the'ears 12 and 13 of the latch-p ate 9, being downwardly inclined toward the outer ends of the ears in a direcv tion approximately parallel to the respective terminal beveled edges of said ears. A lat latchreleasing bar is provided near each of its ends with laterally projecting and headed studs 26 and 27 inserted through the- Vslots 23 and 24: respectively and slidable `freely therein; so that the bar 25 may be reciprocated endwise with a rocking motion, its stroke bein@ limited by the length ot' said slots. VObviously the slots may be made in the bar 2 5, and the pins fixed to the ears 12 and 1 3 of the latch-plate if preferred.

Ratelrshaped teeth 28 and 29 are formed at each end of the bar 25 on its upper edge, the abrupt shoulders of said teeth facing toward the middle of the bar, and the inclined end portions thereof being substantially parallel with and set slightly belou7 c the respective terminal beveled edges of the ears 12 and 13,y as best shown in Fig. 4i.

1t will now be seen that, when the catch 8 is released and the inside door 6 opened though but slightly, the aperture 22 of the latch 19 engaging the hook-tooth 29 pulls the bar 25 'inward until the said tooth releases itself by sinking below the latch. Thus, unless the @Peretola to? keer the OHL'- Sde: door lodged, manipulates the bar 25 to Slide it out t0 its .Original position Shawn l and it the @Peiling Of the inside teriatelir .releases at@ este i12-@lest of the outside door; for as the bar 25 is pulled inward its outer hook-toothv 28 rises against the bottom of the latch 17 and disengages the latter from the hook-tooth 1i on the fixed latch-plate 9, as best shown in Fig. 2. Now the outside door 3 can be opened from the exterior of the wall .by

pulling its knob 5, but a. suitable and preferably interior catch should be provided to keep itclosed against the weather, such, for

example, as a ,flat spring 30, Fig. 3, fixed to l the inside of the door, and adapted to trip over and frietionally engage a `projection 31 on the inside of the box As the outside door 3 is vopened `to place articles in the receptacle, the aperture 22 of the latch 17 permits the lutter to drop and engage the hook-tooth 28, whereby the bar having inside and out side doors, an automatically engaging lock i for .the outside door;v and inflexible means adapted to be slidably displaced by an opening movement of the'inside ,door'to releasethe lock of the outside door, and by the opening movement of the outsidel door to disengage said means from said lock.

2. ln a receptacle, an inside door and an outside door, a fixedV latch-plate within the f receptacle, a latch lon the outside door adapted ,to engage automatically with said latch-plate, releasing 'means adaptedv to he actuated by an opening movement of the inside door to disengage Vand set said latch from the latch-plate, yand means whereby upon the opening of the outside door its latch engages land resets said releasing means to permit the outside. door to` lock automatically when closed.

3. vThe combination in a receptacle o'finf side and outside doors therefor each provided with an inside latch; a fixed latchplate within the receptacle adapted to trip and lock the latch of the outside door; and releasing means engageable with the.V latch ofthe inside door to unlock and so set the latch of the outsidedoor, and engageable with thev latch of the outside door to be 'reset to permit said outside door to look auto.- matieally when. closed.l

i. Ina receptaele, an inside door and outside door each bearing von its inner Vface a gravity latch, a fixedlatchfplate within the receptacle adapted'to, trip and lock" the latch @fthe outside door, a releasing ber having at each end a raisedl and in.- Wardiy painted ,heet-:tooth one. @t Seid teeth being .adapted te letali outside door to clear said latch-plate, and means or controlling said releasing member whereby its terminal teeth are alternately exposed to and shielded from engagement with said latches respectively.

5. In a receptacle, an inside door and an outside door each bearing on its inner face al gravity latch, a iixed latch-plate within the receptacle adapted to trip and lock the latch of the outside door, a releasing member having at each end a raised and inwardly pointed hook-tooth, one of said teeth being adapted to raise the latch of the outside door to clear said latch-plate, means for mounting said releasing member to rock beside and alternately expose above the latch-plate its terminal hook-teeth, and end portions of said latches arranged to ride the latch-plate and to trip over and to engage said hook-teeth respectively in accordance with the closing and opening movements or" their doors.

6. In a receptacle, an inside door and an outside door each bearing on its inner face a gravity latch, a fixed latch-plate within the receptacle adapted to trip and lock the latch of the outside door and having a diagonal slot near each end, lsaid slots being downwardly inclined toward their outer ends, a releasing bar having at each end a raised and inwardly pointed hook-tooth, and studs fixed to said bar and slidable in said slots respectively whereby said teeth may be guided and set to coact with said latches.

7. In a receptacle, an inside door and an outside door each bearing on its inner face a gravity latch, a fixed latch-plate vertically .disposed within the receptacle and having in said slots respectively so that the bar mayv have a rocking endwise movement beside said latch-plate, and inwardly pointed angle-teeth on the ends of said bar adapted to rise alternately above said latch-plate to trip and engage said latches respectively, the outer one of said teeth being positioned to raise the outside door latch to clear its locking lug until an opening movement of the outside door has begun.

8. In a receptacle, an inside door and an outside door, a ixed latch-plate vertically disposed within the receptacle `and having near its outer end a raised and inwardly pointed locking lug, a releasing member having at each end a raised hook-tooth pointed inward, means for mounting said releasing member to rock beside and alternately expose above the latch-plate its terminal hook-teeth, gravity latches pivoted to and stopped against the inner faces of said doors respectively so as to project normally at right anglesv thereto, and flat bottom plates of said latches each provided with an aperture near its inner end, whereby said latches are adapted to trip over and engage said hook-teeth respectively, and the outer latch to trip and engage said locking lug.

ALFRED W. CHAPMAN. 

